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“I’ve searched the place from top to bottom. There’s nothing useful here.”
“Nothing on this end, either,” Theo shared, his frustration and concern evident. “We’re down to maybe thirty vacant houses in the south part of the neighborhood. After that, we need to consider the possibility that Lorena left the area.”
The last part of Theo’s sentence had been interrupted by an extended pause. It was clear that someone else was calling in, so Graham mentioned that he would get started on canvassing the other properties.
“Stay on the line for a minute,” Theo directed before explaining the reason behind his request. “Bit is on the other line.”
Graham came to a stop by the front door, clamping down on his frustration over the delay.
“Big T, we might have something. Have you checked Erin Smith’s residence?”
“I was there twice on Friday,” Theo shared warily. “I didn’t see any evidence that Lorena had returned to Smith’s residence. I’ll contact Beeson to see if he had one of his men over there yesterday or today.”
There was a pause and some muffled noises as Theo must have been sending a message to the detective while keeping everyone else on the line.
“…give me the phone.” Sylvie could be heard in the background. Her tone suggested that she was still in pain, but she sounded a hell of a lot better than she had the past two days. “Listen, I’ve been going over the forensic reports from Erin Smith’s house. This might be nothing, but there was no mention of a garage door opener being found in either Erin’s car or anywhere in the house. Theo, did you see one in the kitchen or maybe even the garage when you were there?”
Theo was silent for a moment, but Graham didn’t wait for a reply. He was already out the door and trudging through the snow, fighting against the biting wind. In the short amount of time that he had been inside the house, mounting drifts had been created in numerous areas.
“No.” Theo’s answer was heavy with motivation now that they finally had something to go on. “I don’t recall seeing a garage door opener.”
By the time that Graham had yanked open the door to his vehicle, he had already disconnected the call. The car fishtailed as he backed out of the driveway. The tires spun on the snow-covered roads, but they eventually gained enough traction to propel him forward after he had shifted the car into drive.
Graham pressed the gas pedal as far as he could without losing control. He focused on the swirling snow illuminated by his headlights, not giving himself time to imagine what they would all find if Sylvie’s prediction regarding Erin Smith’s residence was true.
Brook was a survivor, and she wouldn’t bend to anyone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lorena Dobbs
February 2024
Monday — 2:16 am
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Lorena’s heart pounded as she made her way back through the small hallway to the living room. She had only been gone for a few minutes to find out what had made the noise coming from the back of the house. A raccoon had somehow made its way inside the garage.
Something was wrong.
An unsettling knot twisted her gut.
Maybe someone was outside, though it was doubtful. The brutal temperatures alone would keep people inside. If a federal agent or an officer had come searching for Brook, they certainly wouldn't sneak around in the dark.
She should have forced Brooklyn Sloane out of the house ten minutes ago. The only reason that Lorena had hesitated was due to the weather, but she would have figured something out. Anything was better than being a sitting duck, which was the first thing that Jacob had taught her.
She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted the empty spot in front of the couch.
Jacob’s sister was gone, and the zip ties that had bound her wrists had been discarded on the floor. The only thing that remained was the blood-stained carpet from the damage done by Lorena’s blade.
She cursed under her breath.
How could Brook have freed herself so quickly?
Anger and resentment boiled inside of Lorena. She had been so close to finally obtaining Sarah Evanston’s location. Brooklyn Sloane would have relented sooner rather than later.
